This global pandemic has caused many of us to rethink our positions in life. Some of us have been forced to find new jobs while others have taken this time to start a business. If you would like to start a business but don’t have a tonne of cash this is the post for you. Here are some small business ideas that you can start with minimum investment.
1) Cleaning services
Some people may think that becoming a cleaner is below them, but the truth is starting a cleaning business can be very profitable and it doesn’t require a tonne of investment to get started.
All you will need is your cleaning products and the willingness to work. As you get more clients you can hire more staff which will allow you to bid on larger projects and earn more money. Getting cleaning contracts isn’t too difficult either, all you have to do is collect all of the local offices and businesses in your area and then either visit them in person or send off a cold email to the owner of that business.
2) Start a marketing agency
A marketing agency/freelancer doesn’t require hardly any startup funds. All it will take is time to learn a service and the ability to sell yourself. Both sound hard but it isn’t that difficult. Firstly you will need to decide what field you would like to work in. You could learn web design, pay per click marketing, social media marketing, B2B outreach and much more.
Not everyone will want to start a marketing agency but with a low barrier to entry and the potential for a high return on your investment, it is a good choice for some looking to become their own boss.
Some resources can be seen below:
3) Become a consultant
This tip for becoming a consultant all depends on your experience so far. If you have worked in a company for many years and have skills that others would value you could then sell these skills as a consultant.
Leaving a full-time job to become a consultant isn’t as easy as it sounds as your past job probably doesn’t have you dealing with other sides of the business, but if you are willing to learn then becoming a consultant can be an excellent choice when starting a business.
There are many types of consulting roles out there that you may already have experience in such as a business consultant, an IT consultant, security consultant, financial consultant and much more.
What you can do is take your past jobs, put them into an online job board such as indeed and search for consulting roles on that site. You can then see if there is a market for your services and also what experience the industry expects you to have as a consultant.
4) Photography and videography
Starting a photography or videography business can have a steep learning curve but the more you practice the better you will become. Both disciplines can pay well when you master them but starting off you won’t command the highest of fees but that’s ok.
When starting a career in videography or photography the biggest outlay is going to be your camera equipment but you don’t have to have the best equipment on the market and you can certainly buy second-hand equipment to save money. You can also finance or rent some equipment too. Some photographers book projects and use the deposits from those projects to rent equipment.
5) Home cleaning business
Earlier in the article, we discussed cold emailing local businesses to start a commercial cleaning business, but this time we are looking at residential cleaning businesses. There’s nothing to say you can’t do both and combine the services but the way you get your clients are going to differ.
Businesses can be cold emailed, but with residential jobs, you can’t cold email people as in most countries it’s frowned upon. What you can do however is create a social media profile and start direct mailing people who you think could be interested in your services.
Social media networks such as Instagram are good for this as you can publish tips and tricks on cleaning to get others to follow you. When someone follows you, you can then hit them up with a direct mail to see if they would be interested in your services.
6) Personal chef
If you have worked in a restaurant for many years and have experience in cooking to a high standard then becoming a personal chef may be a good option for you. Personal chefs have less stress than working in a commercial kitchen while often being paid more.
Getting clients as a personal chef can be difficult but some things can be done to attract your ideal clients. Firstly they need to know you exist, so set up as many social media profiles as you can manage and grow a following on them.
You will want to make sure that Instagram, Linkedin and Facebook are social media networks you are on at a minimum. Instagram and Facebook are great for building an audience while Linkedin can connect you with the right type of people to get your private clients.
If for example, you can cook healthy meals you could look at connecting with owners or agents of sports stars, you can then introduce yourself, your experience and see if any of their clients need a private chef to help them with their cooking.
7) Personal assistant
The role of a personal assistant varies between clients but it’s a job that requires admin skills, attention to detail and being organised. If this sounds like you then becoming a personal assistant has a low barrier to entry.
With Covid restrictions in place becoming a personal assistant could be more difficult than usual so you could turn to become a virtual assistant for the time being. A virtual assistant is usually someone who handles administration tasks and generally has multiple clients to work with.
Conclusion
Covid has hit many businesses and people in an unprecedented way. Starting a business in these times may also be more difficult but with a little bit of luck and hard work you can do it. The tips above are a great way to start but there are many other ideas out there too.
